Let Sleeping Spirits Lie
by LadyPhenyx
Summary: There's an unspoken rule when it comes to seasonal spirits: Do not disturb their yearly off-season nap. Unfortunately, "unspoken rule" means not everyone got the memo. Or, how Bunny discovered that Jack is a very determined sleep-cuddler.


It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a seasonal spirit during its off season must be in want of a nap.

Unfortunately, "universally acknowledged" does not mean "understood". All the non-seasonal spirits knew for sure were that the seasonal ones would disappear when their season fully ended in their part of the world and wouldn't reappear until a few weeks before their season was to begin. That they were napping was just rumor. A rumor based on logic, true, since seasonal spirits were on the go for their entire season, never resting, but a rumor nonetheless.

No one knew where they disappeared to. Once, a brave spirit (or a monumentally stupid one) had followed a batch of summer spirits when summer ended, to see if the rumors were true.

He refused to say just what had happened to him, just repeated "leave the seasonals alone" every time he was asked with glazed eyes and a shudder.

In time, it turned into the sort of "everyone knows" that no one really knows or understands but obeys anyway – leave the seasonals alone in their off-season.

North was the first to be curious about just where their newest Guardian disappeared to during the summer months.

Bunny could hear he and Jack discussing it as he made his way through the Pole for another Guardian meetings.

"North, really, I can't come to any more meetings until autumn hits, maybe a week or two before," he heard Jack saying, and paused outside the door to shamelessly eavesdrop.

"But Jack, meetings will be important. We cannot drift apart again. And I wished to discuss ice carving with you during our off-seasons!"

"That sounds like fun, but I can't, big man. I'm working on it but I can't yet. You're lucky I was there for Easter, honestly."

Sandy tapped Bunny on the shoulder at that point and the Pooka rolled his eyes, following the dreamweaver into the room. There wasn't a graceful way – or a way that wouldn't result in a snowball to the face or rebuke from Tooth – to ask Jack what he and North had been talking about, so he didn't bring it up.

For now.

Jack was absent for the first summer meeting, when the northern hemisphere was deep in summer heat. Tooth was fluttering about, worrying in between bouts of directions to her girls, and Bunny was getting worried himself despite trying to pretend otherwise until North almost offhandedly mentioned that Jack had said he would be sleeping most of the summer.

"Would not say why he couldn't come to a meeting or two," the Cossack lamented. "Even offered alarm clock, but boy just laughed! Said he sleeps less now than he did a few years ago, seems to hope sooner or later he won't sleep summer away."

It was then Bunny got his idea.

His terrible, awful idea.

Which was why he was now creeping along the face of the steep hill behind Jack's lake. Jack had a 'den' in the hill, as he called it, an opening in the hill face that lead to a surprisingly large cave under the hill and partially under the water, kept cool all summer by the earth and Jack's presence.

Bunny crept silently along the passage down to the cave proper. He had to admit, to himself at least, that it was a rather impressive place, and much nicer than he'd thought Jack would have had. He'd expected a disaster the first time he and the others had been invited in and had half convinced himself that Jack had cleaned it to impress them, but what furniture there was was still scrubbed until it sparkled, the floor clean as Jack could make it, and the still surprising amount of books and random trinkets lining the walls tidy, if organized in a way only Jack understood.

Jack himself was curled in the mass of blankets and pillows he called his bed. Most of the blankets had a homemade look to them, explained by loom and knitting needles, but it also looked deep, soft, and comfortable.

Jack was curled into a little ball in the very center of the fluffy mass, which looked big enough for all the Guardians to curl up in let alone one skinny little winter spirit. He was also clutching a small, well loved rabbit toy close to his chest, his breathing slow and even.

Bunny carefully circled the bed, debating his next move. He wanted to surprise Jack, payback for similar sneak attacks, but he didn't want to squash him.

He was a little surprised Jack hadn't woken up yet, to be honest. Anytime Bunny had seen the winter spirit drop off before, all they'd had to do was move around Jack and he'd wake, shooting awake almost violently.

Finally deciding, Bunny crouched at the edge of the blankets and leapt into the bed next to Jack, landing on all fours with a loud _thump_ and a yell of "Wake up Jackie!"

Jack grunted.

That was it. A grunt. Shocked and suddenly a little concerned, Bunny leaned over Jack, sniffing at his hair.

"...Jackie?"

One groggy blue eye cracked open and Jack made a sleepy little confused noise. Bunny leaned over a little further, refusing to admit even to himself just how cute it was.

There was a blur of motion and suddenly Bunny found himself on his back, staring up at the ceiling, with a half-asleep winter spirit burying himself in his ruff, chilly hands digging into fur and hanging on with a death grip.

"...uh...Jack..."

"Shu'uuup," Jack whined, muffled by fur and sleep. "_Sleep_ now."

"...Let me up, Jack."

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. _Comfy_. Warm. No move." Jack burrowed deeper into Bunny's fur, rubbed his cheek against Bunny's ruff and apparently dropped back into deeper sleep.

Each time Bunny tried to move, Jack whined wordlessly and clung tighter.

...dammit, he wanted Jack in his nest and cuddling him, but not because he was being used as an oversized plushie!

Nuzzling at Jack's hair, he heaved a sigh and did his best to get comfortable and wait Jack out. May as well make the best of it.

Usually Bunny had a pretty good concept of time, but he'd conked out a few times and so he wasn't sure just how long he'd been down in Jack's cave. Jack's bed was surprisingly comfy, more so with a winter spirit sprawled across him.

...Jack wasn't really gonna sleep all summer, was he?

Oh well, not like he hadn't taken longer naps before.

He wondered just what had woken him up when he heard it again – the soft, barely-there rustle of dream sand. Or nightmare sand, in this case, as it snuck up around the edge of the blanket-bed.

Bunny bared his teeth in a snarl as Pitch formed out of the shadows, looming over the bed with a predatory grin. How did he manage to get in here? Hadn't North helped Jack ward this place yet?

Ignoring Bunny's soft growling, Pitch reached toward Jack, nightmare sand at the ready.

'...crikey,' Bunny thought a few seconds later, 'Jack has really good aim for someone who's half asleep.'

Pitch dodged the next few blasts of ice, Jack bracing himself on Bunny's chest with one hand, straddling Bunny's waist and flinging ice and snow one-handed at Pitch with half closed eyes. A snowball got him in the face and Pitch sputtered indignantly, retreating back into the shadows.

Sighing, Jack flopped back onto Bunny, ignoring his grunt at the impact and wrapping himself around the oversized rabbit again, snuggling against him with a few happy, sleepy, incoherent noises.

Bunny rolled his eyes and ran a hand down Jack's back. 'Should've run while he was sitting up', he thought ruefully. Oh well, he was about due for a nap of his own. For real this time, instead of just waiting for Jack to let him go.

With that thought in mind, he squirmed and wiggled until he was on his side, curling around Jack, who still refused to let go and actually squirmed against his side, burying himself into the fur surrounding him.

Bunny let himself laugh quietly and gave Jack's hair a quick grooming before falling asleep again himself.

There was a fluttering noise, and Bunny cracked open an eye to see Tooth hovering at the entrance to the cave.

She giggled when she saw them curled up in Jack's bed, flitting closer. "What're you doin' down here, Toothie?" Bunny asked when she was close enough to hear him whisper, though the way Jack was still sleeping he could have yelled it and Jack wouldn't have budged.

She started guiltily before turning the question back on Bunny. "I didn't think I'd find you here, Bunny. You look comfortable."

Bunny snorted and Jack snuggled a little closer. "Keep your distance, Toothie. He'll latch on if you get too close, and he's stronger than ya think."

"I was hoping..." she said wistfully, gazing at Jack's mouth. Bunny snorted again.

"Come that close and ya ain't getting outta here until he wakes up," he said firmly. "And nothing's waking Jackie up."

"It's Jackie now, is it?" Tooth teased, fluttering a little closer. "You're sure..."

"Pitch tried to give him a nightmare," Bunny said flatly and Tooth gasped. "Jack chased him away and never even woke up. Never let go a' me, either, even when 'e was chasin' Pitch off. So unless your fairies can handle themselves alone all summer..."

Tooth looked at Jack longingly. "You're sure..."

Bunny grinned. "Maybe you'd be safe, you're not all fluffy. If you _wanna_ risk gettin' turned into a cuddle toy..."

"I think you just don't want to share," Tooth teased. If Bunny could blush, he would. Okay, so maybe he was enjoying Jack's cuddles a bit more than he should be.

Tooth sighed. "If you're sure...do you want help getting loose?" she asked, changing the subject.

Bunny glanced down at Jack again, and though he considered it for a second, he shook his head. "It's been awhile since I've had a decent nap, and this is makin' him happy. Plus it's pretty comfy. Just don't you go telling the others about this."

Tooth giggled and, giving Jack one last longing glance, flitted toward the entrance of the cave.

"I'll let North know you'll be missing the meetings this summer," she called back teasingly.

Bunny rolled his eyes, sighed, and got comfortable again, letting himself smile since no one was here to see it when Jack buried himself back in Bunny's fur and wrapped around him the second he stopped moving.

Sandy floated down into Jack's cave. Tooth had told him Pitch had tried to attack Jack as he slept, though he was having trouble believing Jack fought him off without even waking up.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to check and see if he couldn't give Jack a couple of good dreams while he was at it.

He stopped just inside the cave, staring at Jack's bed in surprise. Tooth had mentioned Bunny, but he hadn't thought he'd still be there.

Floating over the bed, he giggled silently at the pair curled around each other in the center of the nest. Jack cracked open an eye and Sandy floated out of the way just in time to avoid being snatched and added to the cuddle pile.

Jack was surprisingly fast for a still mostly-asleep spirit. Suddenly Tooth's story of Jack fending off Pitch without waking up was a lot more plausible.

Still half asleep, Jack made a complaining noise, reaching for Sandy again, who continued to float out of reach, quickly dodging a blast of frost that would have slowed him down enough for Jack to catch him.

Not that he objected to being cuddled, but he had a job to do, and Jack obviously wasn't going to let go of his cuddle partners anytime soon.

Then again...no. No, he couldn't risk it, no matter how cuddly they looked right now. Carefully he dusted just enough dreamsand over Jack to knock him out again, and Jack murmured a complaint as he buried his face in Bunny's fur.

Soundlessly Sandy cooed. They were absolutely too adorable, sleeping cuddled together like that.

Unable to resist, he darted over to Jack's cupboard and pulled out the camera Jack had stashed there, a cheap disposable one Jack had been collecting all kinds of pictures on. He hovered over the nest, carefully taking a picture and returning the camera to its former position.

He couldn't wait until Jack saw that one. He might even demand a copy for himself.

Satisfied, he carefully spun sand over his friends' heads, letting them create the dreams themselves. He waited until they had formed into dreams and he was sure they weren't going to turn into nightmares before nodding at a job well done and floating back out.

Jack owed him cuddles. He may not know it now, but he so owed Sandy cuddles.

Jack murmured as he slowly woke up. He didn't want to wake up, his bed felt so much softer and comfier than usual, and he was actually warm for once. Not that the cold bothered him, it was just interesting to feel warm instead.

Besides, he'd been having the nicest dream, where Bunny actually liked him back instead of just tolerating him, and he didn't want it to end just yet.

Something nudged at his hair, something cool and damp, and he cracked his eyes open to see what it was, looking about sleepily.

Then the situation registered and he jerked away with an undignified squawk, tumbling out of the bundle of blankets to sprawl on the floor and stare blearily up at an entirely too-amused Bunny.

"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty," Bunny rumbled before stretching, and okay, yeah, Jack may have oogled that a little. "You always sleep that heavy during the summer?"

Wordlessly Jack nodded, still watching Bunny in disbelief. The pooka curled up again, at his ease in Jack's bed. "This a seasonal thing? The whole 'can't be woken by anything'? 'Cuz trust me, mate, I tried. Pitch even showed up."

"He what!" Jack exclaimed, scrambling to his knees even as Bunny laughed.

"Don't worry mate, you drove him off and never even woke up. Then latched back onta' me and wouldn't let go. Figured it was good 'a time as any for a nap."

Jack frosted over. "Heh...sorry about that? Yeah, it's a seasonal thing. Once we go to sleep in our off-season, nothing wakes us up. But I'm getting better!" he said brightly. "I'm awake longer every year!" He leaned on the edge of the bed, fiddling with the blankets. "So...um...what exactly did I do?"

"...ya don't remember?" Jack shook his head, hiding behind his bangs. "Ya'd think you'd remember...I was gonna get'cha back for all those wake up calls ya gave me and ya didn't wake up, just latched on and wouldn't let go. Then Pitch showed his mug and you iced him over, and we both slept the rest of the summer." Oh why not, he decided after a second, and added, "It was kinda impressive, seein' ya drive him off and not even wake up. Never let go a me, either."

"...sorry 'bout that," Jack said softly, fiddling with the edge of a blanket.

"Not like I haven't had longer naps, Snowflake. I was probably about due. You've all been after me to get some rest anyhow."

There was a brief, awkward silence before Bunny grunted, "C'mere, ya dill" and snatched Jack, dragging him back into the bed. Seconds later he found himself cuddled by Bunny, buried in long, soft fur, and trying not to get any in his mouth.

"My turn," Bunny said, laughing. Jack was shocked into silence for a vital few seconds before he started laughing, trying to squirm free.

He was as successful as Bunny had been earlier.

Finally he collapsed back into the nest, laughing as Bunny nuzzled at his hair, purring.

Maybe it wouldn't hurt anything if they just laid here a little longer. They could try talking later, when the bed wasn't so warm, and fur so soft, and Bunny's purring wasn't filling their ears.

And if Sandy demanded payment in cuddles for a certain picture that was later framed in the Warren and named 'The First Date', well, it was worth it.

A/N: I have so many other fics to finish, but this latched into my brain and wouldn't go away until I wrote it. Also, writing endings continues to suck. Sleepy Jack is fun, though. Hope someone thinks it's cute. :)


End file.
